Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Because the rules of the union actually require it. The rules of the union are there to, allegedly, protect the members of the registered organisations. Whether you are a registered employer organisation or a registered employee organisation, you need to ensure that the members' fees are used in the best interests of the members, not for the personal political ambitions of the leaders. Workers deserve to know that the union's money, which is ultimately their money, is being spent appropriately. We have seen multiple examples in recent years where union membership fees have not been spent in the best interests of the workers. We saw it with Craig Thomson; we saw it with Michael Williamson; we saw it with Derrick Belan—and the list goes on. If this $100,000 donation was not properly authorised, then there are very serious questions to answer.